René Descartes

substance dualism stems from his famous one-liner, “I think, therefore I am.” In this statement, Descartes thinks and knows that he exists. He attributes his self, “I”, as being rooted in his mind, and he perceives his existence extended and apart from other things in his body, i.e. his body is not everything around him, but rather a biological machine extended in a certain amount of space. Descartes thinks that because a mind and body can be understood separate from each other that they can…

The definition of caveman logic according the Caveman Logic by Hank Davis is a reference of a more superstitious and primitive part of our mentality (Davis, 2009 p.12). Therefore, I want to talk about my own case of caveman logic mentality that happened back in 2012 in Boston on April 15. In addition, I also want to talk about the cognitive error that occurred. Therefore, I can analyze them in the following essay. On that day two bombs went off around the finish line of the Boston Marathon. I…

I will analyze Descartes’ Indivisibility Argument for Mind/Body Dualism. Descartes’ argument is deductively valid and deductively sound since all premises support the conclusion therefor all of the premises are true. I validate Descartes’ Indivisibility Argument for Mind/Body Dualism by using each premise in the argument and how each premise is a strong back bone why the conclusion is true. Also having awareness of the other side of the argument and using strong counter arguments to build up an…

The Mind-Body Problem, and Human Understanding Rene Descartes (1998) believed that the mind and body were two separate things, which could exist without each other, a type of dualism known as interactionism (Kardas, 2014, pg. 174). His theory, however, came to be known as the mind-body problem, due to the lack of any clear, concrete understanding of his ideas (Kardas, 2014, pg. 174). In contrast, John Locke’s (1998) theories showed that the mind used the body to obtain sensory information,…

One must always expect the unexpected. When I watched the Karate Kid, I never took into account that the meaning would impact my job career as much as it has. The beginnings of job searching is fun and exciting. I was optimistic and thought every place I applied for would call me for an interview or the position. Needless to say, I was wrong. The job seeking experience is now one that I do not look forward to at all. In fact, I dread job searching, but due to my recent enlightenment on…

I waited with my cellphone in hand as one, two, three rings, and finally…“Hey Lily!” a familiar voice greeted, his tone friendly and confident as always. In the background, one could hear the quiet rumble of his car as he made his way from work, back home to his family. I couldn’t help but smile as I responded back. I was excited to be talking with a close family friend again, and he was one who always kept the conversation intellectual, yet stimulating. Every time we talked, his discussions…

1. I am currently a Nutritional Sciences major that was seeking a career in pharmaceuticals for the past couple of semesters. My interest in this major slowly disappeared, I found myself to not really enjoy the type of classes involved and I realized that it just didn’t suit my preferences. I decided to look for a major that suited me better and involved classes that I fully understand and enjoy. I am now studying finance and business ownership. This field personally interests me because my…

Reflections on Photography Roland Barthes (1915-80) was a French theorist and philosopher. Camera Lucida Reflections on Photography was his last book published in 1979. This book mainly circulates around the theme of understanding desire and nature of photography. He described that what makes it distinguished it from other arts? What are its benefits and liabilities? He did not focused on the formal aspects (composition) or social uses of the photograph but in actual his intent is on ontological…

addresses the issue of knowledge and dualism in this selection from her work. In this passage she is responding to Descartes dualism and the divide between animal and human consciousness. Descartes is a very strong dualist who believes in human exceptionalism, where humans are the only species who can use the mind, proposing a fundamental difference between the mind and matter. Descartes believes that animals are matter and therefore mechanical beings. This idea of human exceptionalism and…

although the mind and body were separate from each other they were still connected through their interactions with the brain therefore both affecting each other. Unlike Gilbert Ryle and another Materialist’s who believe there is nothing after death, Descartes believed that when people die their empirical body is left behind but their soul or mind with continue to God. However, Ryle dismissed this idea as simply theory about ‘a ghost {the mind} in a machine…